NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State cross-country program opens its 2026 season at the Fighting Illini Invitational on Friday, September 4. The women's 4k race will begin at 6:30 p.m. CT. The men's 6k race will commence immediately after around 7 p.m. CT. The event will be held at the Orange and Blue Golf Course in Savoy, Illinois.
The Redbirds are participating in this event for the second-consecutive year. Both the women's and men's programs finished fourth among the field. Senior Nora Brady led the Redbird women in the 4k with a mark of 13:42.8Â for sixth place, while sophomore Quinn Davis led the men's team in the 6k with a time of 18:11.0 for 13th place.
PRESEASON RANKINGS
The Redbird women enter the season ranked ninth by the U.S Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) in the 2026 DI Women's Cross Country Midwest Regional Preseason Rankings. They are ranked just beneath Bradley as the second-highest MVC program in the top 15 for the region. Indiana State is the third MVC program to be ranked, as they sit 10th in the Great Lakes Region.
REDBIRD DEBUTS
Four Redbirds (two women, two men) will make their Illinois State debuts on Friday. Of the four runners, three will make their collegiate debuts at the Fighting Illini Invitational, including Madison King, Alex Rodriguez, and Max Weber. Junior transfer Johanna Ebert will make her Redbird debut after spending her first two years at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside.
THE FIELD
Five collegiate programs are set to compete during the men's and women's events, including Illinois (Big Ten), Saint Louis (Atlantic 10), and fellow Missouri Valley Conference members Illinois-Chicago and Indiana State.
HEAR FROM HEAD COACH JEFF BOVEE
On race expectations
"This is a great opportunity for us to put some new people and a few returners, as well, into a different role on our team than what they've experienced, and for some others, this will be the first time they've worn the Redbird uniform."
On incoming freshmen and transfers
"It'll be an exciting time for them to represent a new team. We'll definitely know a lot more about them and where they're at after the race. They all did a very great job of doing the homework over summer and come in prepared to go compete in the first meet."
STARTING LINE – WOMEN
Cameron Crump (So.) // Johanna Ebert (Jr.) // Grace Erb (Sr.) // Madison King (Fr.)
STARTING LINE – MEN
Luke Barham (Jr.) // Quinn Davis (So.) // Ethan Reynoso (Sr.) // Alex Rodriguez (Fr.) // Max Weber (Fr.)
For the latest updates on Illinois State Cross Country, stay tuned at GoRedbirds.com, follow the Redbirds on X (@RedbirdTFXC) and Instagram (isuredbirdtfxc) and like the team on Facebook (Illinois State Track & Field/Cross Country).
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